The Four Phases of Accountability Breakdown

As a senior leader, you rely on your front-line and mid-level managers to create an accountable culture, but instead, there's an obvious culture of avoidance. Here's the problem: Often, leaders at every level feel like they're trying to solve a mystery when it comes to building an accountable department.

Front line supervisors and mid level managers alike, avoid conversations about performance or behavior altogether. Sometimes it's due to a lack of skills, fear of emotional reactions, or doubt that their decisions will be backed by senior leadership. But when employees are in the dark, or when they aren’t coached, nothing changes. That’s why initiating difficult conversations about performance and behavior is such a critical piece of the puzzle.

When leaders finally summon the courage to have these tough conversations, they often feel elated afterward. The tension of avoidance dissolves, replaced by a natural high that comes from taking a courageous step.

Yet, weeks later, the same patterns of poor performance, missed deadlines, or dysfunctional behavior start creeping back in, and the leader’s frustration grows.

“I had the conversation, and they improved for a while, but now they’re back to old habits!”

They don't want to tell their own boss, for fear of looking incompetent, and the pattern continues to build a culture of avoidance.

Below is a quick snapshot of what's going on.

The Four Phases of Accountability Breakdowns

Let’s look at what’s really happening under the surface when accountability falls apart.

Phase 1: Avoidance. The leader delays the conversation. Maybe it’s fear, maybe it’s lack of skill—or maybe they just don’t want to “make it worse.” But tension builds, and performance issues persist.

Phase 2: The Conversation. The leader finally initiates a performance or behavior conversation. It goes better than expected! The leader feels relief—and even pride. There’s a dopamine hit from getting past the discomfort.

Phase 3: Temporary Improvement. The employee adjusts temporarily. Deadlines are met. Attitudes improve. The leader believes the problem is solved.

Phase 4: Regression. The same issues creep back in. The leader is blindsided. Resentment sets in. Now what—another conversation? Documentation? Escalation?

This cycle can chip away at a leader’s confidence and create a quiet fear of incompetence they don’t dare admit to their own boss.

Here’s the good news: these situations aren't leadership failures—they're skill gaps. And skill gaps can be closed.

When leaders are equipped with framework that includes a repeatable coaching model, they stop guessing. They know how to plan the conversation, how to engage in it skillfully, and—most importantly how to significantly increase accountability.

That’s the core of the Performance Coaching Model, a digital self study course to give leaders the confidence and structure they need to navigate performance and behavior conversations from start to finish—without falling into the cycle of avoidance, false relief, and frustration.

Because real accountability doesn’t end with a single conversation. It starts there. 

(To learn more, book a free overview.)

 Marlene Chism is a consultant, speaker, and the author of   From Conflict to Courage: How to Stop Avoiding and Start Leading (Berrett-Koehler 2022). She is a recognized expert on the LinkedIn Global Learning platform. Connect with Chism via LinkedIn, or at MarleneChism.com